A structural and Moessbauer study of Y3Fe5O12 nanoparticles prepared with high energy ball milling and subsequent sintering

The influence of ball milling and subsequent sintering of a 3:5 molar mixture of Y2O3 and α-Fe2O3 on the formation of nanocrystalline Y3Fe5O12 (YIG) particles is studied. Pre-milling the mixture for 100 h lowers the onset temperature at which the material forms to 900 deg. C which is 200 deg. C lower than that reported when a similar mixture of reactants was premilled for shorter times. A single-phased nanocrystalline Y3Fe5O12 phase develops as a sole product when the pre-milled mixture is heated at 1,000 deg. C (12 h). This temperature is ∼300-400 deg. C lower than those used to prepare the material conventionally. The bulk and surface crystal structure of the nanoparticles is studied with X-ray diffraction, Moessbauer spectroscopy, Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.